The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-10-01
VOL. XXII.-NO. 80.

keys when she stopped to pick it up. She
sped on to the Inhabited part of the house,
hoping to gain her room unobserved
'Lynette Where are you ?" she heard
Lola calling. "Here is John coming
home, Lynettel'
Lynette rushed TO replace the keys in the
bureau, then to her room, where she came
full upon astonished Lola in search of her.
No wonder Lola opened her fine eyes
Lynettes pretty blue gown was smirched
and blood-spotted, her hair dusty and di-
sheveled, her cheeks flushed and tear
streaked. But lola had the gift of ac-
cepting situation without needless COM
ment, and when Lynette gasped, "John
coming. Oh, help me" instead of ex-
claiming or ringing. for the maid, she tore
off the soiled gown and thrust it out of
sight, poured out basinful of cold water
with dash Of eau-de-cologne in it, and
brushed and knotted up the fleece of light
hair that fell over her sisters shoulders,
then placed herself coolly at the window to
report events.
81 made John out with field-glass
coming down the hill from the station, she
said, ''and Marks dog-cart on the Feather
stonehope road. Yes; there's John coming
out of the shrubbery; heis taking the short
cut
Lynette finished bathing her face, and
looked up wildly. "What can l do?
What will he say p
''You had better dress for dinner at
once" said Lola, calmly. "Let me get
your gown out. The black Spanish lace
Yes; while you do your hair properly.
John is coming over the field now, and
some one after him.
"Oh, who is it, and where is Mark
He ought to overtake john"
''I can't see. A flock of sheep on the
road are raising such cloud of dust All,
there is the dog-cart; John will be here
first, though"
'Oh, look again, Lola, do! Is no one
else coming?" said Lynette, clasping her
amber necklace in frantic haste.
eyes; the other man, Mr.. Murgatroyd
l know his buff overcoat. He will soon be
up to John. Let me put your roses on
for you. What an exquisite Marechal
Mel"
"There, there Tell me where they are
now"
"Just at the door, all together"
"Lynette Lynettel'' p sounded through
the hall in Johns CHEEKY tenor.
"Run down, dear, if you wish to meet
him before Mark and Mr.. Murgatroyd
come in.
"But 1 don't!' cried Lynette, desper-
ately.
There was a sound of many voices and
greetings in the hall below, and Lynette
swept down the staircase to meet her hus-
band with the decorum made obligatory
by the presence of others, while Lola, won
dering greatly, departed to dress as the first
dinner bell was changing noisily from the
turret above.
She wondered more at dinner. Lynette
sat between Mark and the eminent R. A.,
talking, laughing and looking prettier than
her sister had ever imagined possible.
John was unusually silent, and once when
the north rooms were mentioned, shot
questioning glance at the sisters, unnoticed
by his wife, and received with serene in
comprehension by Mrs. Featherstone.
Lynette was silent and moody in the
drawing-room alone with her sister.
"Lola," she asked suddenly, "tell me
about Lady Mildred. You promised you
would once
"Its not an edifying stOry, dear. She
married Mark for his money. She told
him SO afterward, and made herself as un-
comfortable wife as man could have
fast, extravagant, bad-tempcred. She had
a sort of way with her that men admired,
and she gave out that Mark was very hard
on her. believe she lirted to the verge
of improperly, but did manage to stop
there at least, there never was any actual
scandal against her, till she died"
!'Then there was story?" demanded
Lynette, her face concealed by her fan,
"Only suppositious at most, Mark was
in Paris when the old butler wrote to him
to come back at once. He did so, and
found her Ill with what proved to betyphus
fever. He nursed her, let no one go near
her but the London nurse besides himself
She died a week after, quite unconscious.
She said queer things in her delirium, and
servants have ears and will talk; besides,
the buffers letter was written before her
illness was known. Her trunks were all
packed, her maid did not know why, and
letter or two came to the house for her
that Mark read and burned on the spot
He is very upforgiving, is Mark. He
would not let her be buried with his people
in Featherstone Church, but at midnight
she was carried out to the vault in St.
Brides, with no one but Mark to follow
her."
Lynette looked gloomily across the bay
to the headland, dark against the moonlit
sea, where the ruined church still stood
landmark for the fishermen. "Who was
he?" she asked presently, in dry, cracked
voice
"Some young fellow with lots of money,
younger than herself. I only know from
chance gossip. No one ever heard the
whole story"
"Good night, Lola, % and Lynette sprang
up hurriedly. "Ask them to excuse me.
My head is aching miserably, and Mr.. Muir
gatroyd will want to play billiards half the
night" Lola kissed her fondly, and saw
her depart with dire misgivings.
~ must speak to John before Sleep"
I.ynetie was saying to herself "He sus-
poets something; know his face SO we'll.
He has seen the keys Oh, must hear
the full truth now, but it will kill me, /" she
sobbed.
She had dismissed her maid, and, wrapped
in her dressing gown, sat trembling in the
moonlight awaiting Johns coming. She
heard him stirring softly, she fancied in his
dressing-room, but he never came. Mid
night came and passed. One clang from
the clock tower, then two Lynette started
from an uneasy dose. Her room was in
darkness, the house sunk in tomb-like still
ness. Where was John? She listened at
his door, then entered softly. Silence and
emptiness. No trace of him, except that
from his window she could see across the
great black mass of building a glimmering
light. 1t shone from the blue chamber in
the deserted north tower. She was too
crushed and hopeless to weep again. She